Chapter 14 #3
“Let’s see some I.D. then, Inspector.” I closed the distance between us and held out a hand.
He reached beneath the collar of his coat and pulled out a golden medallion. My heart constricted as I caught sight of the fang symbol stamped into the center, as well as the runes that danced around the edges of the circle – it was the same one Roanas had worn.
“Convinced?”
I stared deep into his eyes. Unlike the other members of my former clan, Inspector Lakin’s eyes held no contempt when he looked at me, and they should have. I was an outsider, an abomination by my aunt Mafiela’s standards, and whatever she said, the rest of the clan followed.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
Inspector Lakin shook his head. “I’m a transplant from the Jaguar clan in Pardas,” he admitted, referring to a capital city in one of the northwestern states. “I used to be the Inspector up there, but I felt like a change of scenery, and I had a deputy who was more than willing to fill my shoes.”
“Must be nice,” I muttered, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets. If I hadn’t been a hybrid, I would have been the one to fill Roanas’s shoes – I was more than capable between the training that I’d received from him and my experience as an Enforcer. “Fresh start, new life.”
I’d thought about that myself once or twice – just packing up and moving somewhere else where nobody knew who I was.
Sure, any shifter with a good nose could still tell I was a hybrid, but not that I was a mage if I didn’t use my magic, and there were states, or at least cities, in the Northia Federation where half-human shifters were welcome.
But any chance of that happening was gone now that my magic was public knowledge – my case was unique enough that news of my apprentice status would eventually spread across the country, at least amongst mage circles.
“Yeah.” Inspector Lakin stared at me for a long moment. “I’m sorry for your loss. From what I hear, you two were close.”
I snorted. “You’re not sorry for my loss. You’re just exchanging pleasantries while beating around the bush. Why don’t you tell me the real reason you came here to intrude on me while I’m paying my respects?”
Inspector Lakin’s eyes gleamed. “I see the rumors about you having a smart mouth are true.”
I jutted my chin out. “Yeah? You got a problem with that?”
Lakin only shrugged. “The reason I approached you is because I was going through Roanas’s case files and I noticed that he didn’t seem to have a file regarding these silver poisonings.
” His eyes narrowed. “From everything I’ve heard of him, he was good at what he did.
I don’t see how he would have forgotten to put a file together. ”
“Not really sure what this has to do with me.”
“You were the last one to see Roanas alive.”
“I don’t have his case file.” Not a lie. I sent a mental thank-you to Comenius; I’d left the file at his shop before responding to the emergency call that had gotten me into so much trouble.
“But you know where it is.”
I said nothing.
“You know that I could have you brought before the Council for willfully hiding evidence.” His voice lowered into a dangerous growl.
“This isn’t just about Roanas, Miss Baine.
This is about getting justice for all the shifters who have died at the hands of this monster, and stopping him from hurting anyone else. ”
I laughed bitterly. “I belong to no clan, and I’m a quasi-member of the Mage’s Guild now. I don’t think you actually can drag me before the Council.”
Lakin opened his mouth to answer, but the medallion around his neck lit up, bathing his throat in a golden glow. Emergency reported at 1922 Third Street, a metallic voice said. Doctor on scene. Please respond.
Lakin’s face whitened at the same time the blood drained from mine. That was my Aunt Mafiela’s house.
He sprinted for the street, where a sleek silver steambike was parked in front of mine.
I hesitated for only a second before racing after him.
He peeled out into the road with a shrill whistle from the engine, and I followed right after.
If this was connected in any way to the silver poisonings, I had to know.
Third Street was all the way on the other side of Shiftertown, near the bay where the more affluent shifters lived.
Lakin parked in front of my aunt’s residence, a three-story house with grey siding, dark purple roof tiling, and matching purple shutters.
A horse-drawn carriage was already parked at the curb in front of the steps.
The front door was wide open, and the sound of a woman wailing was clearly audible from the street.
“Stay out here,” Lakin snapped as he ripped off his helmet. He raced up the steps and into the house. I followed after him, knowing he didn’t have the time to stand around and argue with me.
We found the source of the wailing in the parlor, where a veritable party of shifters were gathered, dressed in dinner finery.
I recognized them all – this was the shifter Council and their respective families, likely all here at my aunt’s house for some kind of social event.
They were gathered in a circle around a low couch, where a man lay with marble skin that looked like death.
He had rich, dark brown hair and was wearing a gold waistcoat, white linen shirt and white slacks.
I recognized him instantly as Corin Finehorn – the head of the Deer Clan, and one of the five council members.
“No!” Larana, Finehorn’s wife wailed, clutching her mate’s hand. She wore a dark green dress, gold jewelry dripping from her ears and throat. “It can’t be. He can’t be gone!”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. He placed a gentle hand on the woman’s slim shoulder. “There’s nothing more I can do for him.”
“By Magorah.” My Aunt Mafiela spoke in a clipped voice.
She wore a white dress that highlighted her slim figure, and her wealth of golden hair was piled atop her head in a matronly up-do.
Pearls gleamed softly at her ears, throat and wrists, and if not for her yellow shifter eyes, I would have thought her a human socialite.
“This is outrageous. Corin was perfectly healthy when he arrived at dinner tonight. How could this happen?”
“He was poisoned, wasn’t he?”
Lakin winced as every single person in the room turned to look at me. Mafiela’s eyes widened in outrage. “What are you doing in my home!” she demanded, her cheeks coloring.
“My apologies, Chieftain Baine.” Lakin took a step forward to deflect attention onto him. “I was questioning your niece when I got the alert, and she followed me here.”
“Well it’s about time,” Mafiela snapped. “We’ve been waiting for ten minutes.”
“Is… is it true that poison is what killed my mate?” Larana rose to her feet from her position beside the couch. Her doe eyes were filled with tears.
“The reaction does seem alarmingly similar to that of someone afflicted with silver poisoning,” the doctor hedged.
Larana’s eyes flashed. “You!” she pointed a trembling finger at my aunt. “You killed my mate!”
“That’s absurd!” Mafiela snapped. “Why would I do such a thing? Corin and I were good friends, fellow council members!”
“He was eating your food.” Larana’s voice wobbled. “Drinking from your glasses.” Her face crumpled as she dissolved into tears again. “He’s gone, and it’s all your fault!”
The woman lunged at my aunt, her eyes wild with grief and rage. Mafiela sidestepped, her own face mottled with fury. She raised her hand to strike Larana, and I darted forward, catching the blow before it could land.
“Don’t you think this poor woman’s gone through enough?” I snarled. “You couldn’t even take a moment to offer her some consolation, and now you’re going to beat her up too?”
Silence froze the room. Mafiela’s yellow eyes glittered at me with pure malice, and for a moment I wondered whether or not she would try to strike me too.
I had no illusions about her – she might be dressed up like a lady, but beneath the facade she was all beast, one of the most ruthless people I knew.
Part of me wished that she would lash out – I longed for provocation of any kind to take my years of pent-up anger out on her.
But my more rational side knew that I could never get away with such behavior in front of the Council, even if I was the Chief Mage’s apprentice.
“Mafiela.” The deep voice of Toras, the Tiger Clan Chieftain, rumbled through the air. “The half-breed is right.”
“Fine.” Sneering, Mafiela wrenched her hand from mine. “I apologize for my behavior. Now get out of my house.”
Trembling with anger, I took a step toward her, intending to give her a piece of my mind.
“Don’t.” Lakin’s hand clamped around my wrist. I whirled on him, a fiery retort on my lips, but the silent plea in his yellow-orange eyes gave me pause. “This isn’t the time.”
Larana’s sobs started up again, and I glanced to where she sat on the floor, her shoulders shaking, her face buried in her hands. The weighty gazes of the crowd standing behind me settled onto my back, and I knew that I was only holding things up.
“Alright.” I pulled my wrist from Lakin’s grasp. “Ask for Comenius over at Witches End,” I muttered as I brushed past him. “He has what you’re looking for.”
Lakin started, but I didn’t wait around – my four hours were up and it was time I got back to the palace before the Chief Mage decided to fry my ass.